Sunday, November 14, 2010

My boyfriend P has a busy, active job and is often too busy to eat a big lunch, if any lunch at all. It's no surprise then that he comes home hungry at only 5 p.m. For those days especially, I have a list of go-to meals that can be whipped up in no time. And while P's sweet enough to try almost anything I cook, I reserve this list for only the dishes he gets excited about. Chief among them is this fabulous spaghetti alla vodka.

P's not much of a foodie. So it's easy to tell when he loves a dish. The giveaway is usually his request to "never stop making this!" Exactly what he said after his first taste of this creamy tomato pasta made moreish by the addition of a little alcohol. Don't worry if you don't like the taste of vodka (I don't either). Cooking mellows the flavor so you won't even know it's spiked ^_^.

I'd actually seen many versions of this dish long before, yet was always scared off by their copious use of heavy cream. I know, I know...nothing provides the same luxurious mouthfeel or coats pasta as well. But why drown out all those vibrant flavors from the tomato sauce? This version from Cooking Light magazine uses the amount needed to provide those textural benefits and no more. Still an indulgence, but a much healthier one.

Do you also have a go-to list of quick, delicious meals for those really hectic days? I can't wait to hear what's on it.

XIAOLU'S NOTES: I HIGHLY recommend using fire-roasted canned tomatoes for this recipe -- it adds that much more depth to the flavor! I hesitated to add this detail before when Muir Glen made the only widely available version since they're a bit pricey. Luckily, Hunt's has come out with a version that's even easier to find than Muir Glen's and about as cheap as non-roasted diced tomatoes. Enjoy!

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and keep warm.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add pepper, garlic, and bouillon; sauté 1 minute. Add vodka (when cooking with alcohol, there is always the chance of it catching on fire, so be very careful); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced by about half. Stir in 1/3 teaspoon salt and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and let cool slightly.

IF you have stick blender, you can now puree the sauce right in the pan (easy peasy!). OTHERWISE, place tomato mixture in a conventional blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); and secure the lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters), and process until smooth. Return tomato mixture to pan.

Mix in cream, then cook the sauce for 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in cooked pasta and basil. Taste the pasta and add more salt if needed. Serve immediately.

This is already bookmarked. Boy always compliments my food too but when he really really loves something I know and take note. He's in love with the Chicken Ranch Pizza from Annie's Eats so that's one of my newest go-tos!

I once picked up a vodka cookbook and was so intrigued with all the recipes! I'm ashamed to see i've never cooked with it because i always seem to prefer just drinking it :P this looks yum! A serving of spiked pasta for me too please?

I've wondered how to make Vodka Cream Sauce! I hadn't even heard of it, I know that's horrible, until a couple of months ago when I reset the sauce modular at work. I was curious how it was made. I might have to give this a go with a different pasta, not a spaghetti fan.

Actually according to Fine Cooking (http://www.finecooking.com/item/13810/alcohols-role-in-cooking) and other reliable sources, even after open simmering for an hour, 25% percent of the alcohol remains. Since this recipe calls for less simmering, I'd expect more than that remains. Plus, the alcohol content really isn't why I love this dish ;). It's the great overall flavor and ease of it. Hope you'll give it a try anyway :).

I made this for Valentines Day for my boyfriend who is Italian (and also rather picky), and he LOVED IT!! I initially told him that it was 'boy approved', and after he finished his plate he suggested that it be changed to 'man approved' I was ecstatic to satisfy his tastebuds with this healthy twist on Vodka sauce (I also snuck in some whole grain pasta) Thanks so much!

Hi Audrey! Thanks for your question as I've definitely noticed that the vodka imparts a unique flavor (a bit of a bitter edge that helps cut the creaminess and sweetness of tomatoes) but one that doesn't taste like drinking vodka. Here's what I found from NYTimes. Hope that answers your question!

Q. Since vodka is tasteless and most of its alcohol evaporates in cooking, what do you gain by adding vodka to a tomato sauce for pasta?

A. The alcohol in the vodka enhances the flavor of the tomatoes. Some flavors are alcohol-soluble, meaning that they will be released only by the addition of alcohol. Vodka can help bring out these flavors without contributing another flavor, as wine or brandy would.

So a tomato sauce made with a touch of vodka can be slightly more intense than one made without. This is a particular boon if you are using less than perfectly ripe, late-summer tomatoes, which may need that flavor boost.

Yay I'm so glad you like it and thanks for telling me! If you have a photo of any of the times you've made it, I'd love to feature it in my next Recipe Shout-out giving thanks to people who've tried my recipes. Have a lovely weekend!

This was so delicious! I thought I had vodka, but only had rum. I don't drink, so I don't know if it ruined it, but I used the rum and added shrimp and it was delicious! I should have taken a picture, but it's all gone now! Thank you. :)

I happened upon your blog the other day and fell in love with your creative posts and gorgeous photos. I tried this recipe tonight and must admit I ate way more than I should have. It is delicious. Thank you for sharing!

I stumbled onto this post from FoodGawker and I am SO glad I did. I have never had vodka sauce before tonight...I think I'll have to make up for lost time because it may be my new favorite pasta dish! I did make a few changes: used fresh tomatoes instead of canned, left out the stock, and left out the chilis, but added my own Italian seasoning blend. I served it with spaghetti and homemade crusty bread. Divine!

I do have one question though - how do you get your noodles to twirl into those perfect "knots?!"

OhSoMartha -- thanks for your feedback! it's a lovely and versatile recipe, as you've already seen. we like a little kick to our savories but you're certainly welcome to play around with spice level and flavorings. I hear other veggie add-ins have worked great as well. As for the plating, let me assure you that I don't style the pasta this fancily every time we make it hehe. But if you do want to make it look nice for a special occasion, here are the directions I learned from famous food stylist Donna Hay: "Plate the spaghetti...with tongs, spin the plate slowly as you lower the pasta onto the plate to give you a lovely mound of pasta." Hope that helps!

Haha from what I've read, more alcohol remains in baked/cooked dishes than people realize. So yes there is still some alcohol in there, but fortunately it tastes a heck of a lot better than straight vodka 8)!

Hello! Just wanted to tell you the first time I read "boy approved", this recipe really caught my eye. I've made this recipe a few times now and my boyfriend and I both absolutely love it, he gets so excited whenever I surprise him with your spiked spaghetti! We both love the sauce so much and we love to dip bread in it! So delicious, thanks so much for the recipe!

Hi there! Thanks -- I'm glad you like my plating 8). Unfortunately I don't have a videocam at this time, but I can refer you to Donna Hay demonstrating her pasta plating which is a similar technique to what I used: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=M1mTf5U-xVU#t=160s

Hi April! I'm glad you want to try this but unfortunately the pureeing is pretty important. I highly recommend an immersion (handheld) blender. If you have a food processor or food mill, those should also work (though be careful to let the sauce cool a bit before transferring to a food processor if using). Hope that helps and please let me know how it goes if you find a way to make it!

This looks amazing! I, too, like to avoid heavy cream. I have had success using Fage 2% greek yogurt in place of heavy cream in dishes like this... just stir in slowly to avoid lumps, but works great when pureeing. I can't wait to try it in this recipe! YUM!

I just wanted to tell you that I have made this TWICE in the past two weeks because my boyfriend keeps requesting it! I do not have a blender or food processor either, but I think it turned out just fine. The tomatoes cooked down enough (but the sauce was still chunky of course). I am going to have to run out and get more tomatoes and cream because I can predict I'm going to be making this again soon!

Thanks for the feedback, Sarah! I'm glad it worked out well despite not being pureed. Men do seem to really really love this dish, as the title suggests 8). I'm pretty sure we consume more vodka for this than for drinking...

I made this for dinner tonight and we LOVED it! Such a simple sauce, but so delish! I used spaghetti squash instead of pasta and included some sauteed mushrooms on top. This will be in my permanent file!! Thanks!

I think the vodka is a pretty major element here. You could probably just leave it out or replace it with more broth and still have a nice tomato sauce, but the vodka is actually pretty key to the flavor in my opinion. If you have some vodka but not enough, I've successfully reduced the vodka to 1/3 cup without a huge impact to the taste. Good luck!

Yep -- as with almost all dishes (except soups), the leftovers won't taste as fresh and flavorful as right after cooking, but it's pretty darn good still. We've made double batches of this and eaten it for days afterward plenty of times =)

I've made this before, now making it again tomorrow night for future in-laws birthday dinner. Can't wait, it is a fabulous dish. Oh, I used a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes (was all I had on hand), somehow gave it a bacon flavor. Really fantastic, thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the lovely feedback! I actually have been meaning to add a note that fire-roasted makes this recipe even better (more flavorful)! I've added it now thanks to your comment reminding me. Hope your future in-laws love it as much as we do =D.

Made this for my family, it was so good and everyone else agreed. We went with 1/4 teaspoon of the crushed red pepper and it had a bit too much of a kick for me (but if you enjoy a nice kick throughout the meal then it's perfect). Definitely will make it again and recommend it! :)

Absolutely loved this meal. Just made it last night with my boyfriend and we both really loved it. Added some parmesan in the recipe too because we are cheese addicts ;) and some chilli flakes for a bit of a kick. The flavour was really amazing, even though theres no yucky vodka-taste (thank god) it still has a taste very unique and uncomparable to other tomato-sauces. Thanks for the recipe!